Finding Our Way, a 'My Everything' Outtake
by CharliDenae
Summary: Raised more as siblings, than as just neighbors, Rosalie and Emmett have spent their whole lives loving each other. Their love knows no bounds, or so they thought, until it's suddenly tested when their families are split apart. Rated M. AH.


**Finding Our Way**

A 'My Everything' outtake

**by CharliDenae**

_**Written for 'the Fandom Fights Tsunami'**_

_**Author's Note: I want to thank Tkegl for suggesting the title to this story and also for the beautiful banner. I cannot praise her generosity, creativity and talent enough. Thank you! **_Taken from Stephanie Meyers' 'Twilight' saga, no characters were hurt in the writing of this fic and no copyright infringement is intended.

"Rosie!" Emmett yelled as he ran across the his backyard into hers. "My mommy said you can eat lunch with me."

Rosalie turned her nose up as Emmett skid to a stop next to her, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Emmett Cullen, I am not having lunch with you." Rosalie stated, a determined expression on her five year old face. Her white blonde brows crinkled over her bright blue eyes, and her small, rosebud lips puffed out in a pout.

"But, Rosie, why not?" Emmett asked her, his dark curls falling over his forehead as he looked at her with confused eyes. "I said I was sorry." He reached a grubby hand up to push the curls out of his eyes and kicked his dirty sneaker against the grass. "You can't stay mad at me forever."

Rosalie turned to him, her eyes blazing and her little hands curled into fists. "Oh, yes, I can, Emmett Cullen! I can stay mad at you for as long as I want." She gave him a smug smile and crossed her arms over her chest again.

Emmett's face turned sad, his bottom lip sticking out and his head down. "I'm sorry, Rosie. Please don't be mad at me no more. I didn't mean to break your doll. It was an accident." His big blue eyes looked up at her from under his mop of curls and his lip stuck out further. "Don't be mad any more, 'kay?"

Rosalie looked at him, her face scrunched up in concentration, as her eyes roamed over his face. He looked sorry, and very sad. Finally, a decision made, she let out a sigh. "Okay, but, if you break any of my other toys, I will never speak to you again. For the rest of my life."

Emmett's face relaxed into a huge grin as he rocked on his feet. "Now will you eat lunch with me?"

Rosalie smiled and nodded, and Emmett took her small hand in his and led her back across the lawn to his house. As he opened the door for her, she stretched up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He grinned at her as she went inside, his hand over the spot where her lips had touched him, and then followed her through the door.

OOO

Emmett sat on the large rock in the playground watching the three boys hanging around Rosalie. She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled at the one handing her a small handful of wildflowers. Putting his hand up to his chest, Emmett frowned at the pain he felt there. He didn't like the other boys talking to Rose, she was his friend, not theirs. He got up and walked over to her and she looked up when he sat next to her on the bench.

"Ready to go home, Em?" She asked him, smiling into his soft blue eyes.

Emmett hung his head. "I guess." He told her quietly as the boys began to protest. She set her hand on his leg and, when he looked into her face, he grinned at the smile he saw there. Even with the other boys taking all of her attention, she still had her special smile just for him.

He felt the pain in his chest again, and wondered why it happened when he was happy, as well as when he was sad. He'd have to ask his dad about it. He was only ten years old, so he knew it couldn't be a heart attack, but he wanted to make sure. He held out his hand and Rosalie slipped her hand into his as she got up off the bench.

"See you guys later!" Rosalie called as her and Emmett walked away, hand in hand, Rosalie humming softly to herself and Emmett grinning down at her happily.

"Dad?" Emmett asked, walking into the living room where his dad was reading.

Carlisle looked up and smiled. "What's up, Em?" He patted the seat next to him on the couch and watched as his eldest son sank down with a sigh. He grinned at the serious look on Emmett's face, but let it drop when he raised his troubled blue eyes, so like his own.

"Well, sometimes, when I'm with Rosie, I get this pain in my chest. I thought it was only when I was sad, but today I had it when I was happy. Am I havin' a heart attack?"

Carlisle couldn't help the grin that bloomed on his face. He put his arm around Emmett and hugged him to his side. "No, Em, you're not having a heart attack."

"Then what is it, Dad?" Emmett asked as he gazed seriously into Carlisle's eyes. "It hurts real bad."

"I'm not sure, Em, but I think it may be because you like Rosalie a lot and you're trying to figure out your emotions." He watched as Emmett's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.

"You mean like, I love her?" He asked, his cheeks turning pink.

Carlisle chuckled. "Well, of course you love her, Emmett, she's part of our family. We all love each other, but you also spend a lot of time with Rose, so she's very special to you."

"Well, yeah, Dad, she's my best friend, but today she was talking to these three guys at the playground. One of 'em even gave her flowers." Emmett snorted. "What a dweeb!"

Carlisle chuckled again. "Well, girls like gifts, Emmett. Flowers, candy, jewelry... and they like a lot of attention, especially Rosalie. Ever since she was a baby, no matter where we'd go, Rose always demanded everyone's attention. I think Mr. Jackson and Miss Lynne were reluctant to have another baby because they were afraid Rosalie would hate it."

"It's a good thing she loves Jas, huh, Dad?" Emmett said, a serious scowl between his eyes. "Cuz he's my other best friend and I wouldn't like it if they hated each other."

Carlisle nodded, humor dancing in his eyes. "It's a good thing, Em. Your two best friends hating each other, would definitely not be a good thing."

Emmett thanked his dad, his mind in deep concentration, and decided to go over and see Rosalie.

Jasper ran to the front door and flung it open. When he saw Emmett standing there, he frowned. "Whatcha' doin', Em?" He asked his best friend. "Why didn't you just come in like you usually do?"

Emmett came into the house, one hand behind his back, and shrugged. "I don't know." He looked around before focusing on Jasper again. "Is Rosie here?"

Jasper tilted his head in confusion, Emmett was here to see Rose? He usually came over to play video games with him. He wondered what was going on. "Uh... well, she's in her room. Want me to go get her?"

Emmett nodded, his face turning red. "Well... yeah... would ya'?"

Nodding quickly before turning and running down the hall, Jasper yelled at the top of his voice. "Rose-a-leeee! Emmett's here to see you!"

Emmett rolled his eyes. It was a good thing he wasn't trying to be quiet about coming to see her. Maybe he should've called first... just then, his eyes lit up as she came walking down the hall. Even at ten years old, she was already the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"Hey Emmett. What's going on?" She asked him as she approached where he stood by the front door.

Emmett, his face even redder, pulled his hand out from behind his back. In it, he held a bouquet of his mom's soft pink roses. "I... I brought these for you... Rosie." He mumbled, his eyes watching her every move.

Her face broke into a huge smile and her cheeks turned pink with pleasure. "Emmett! That's so sweet." She sang as she came forward to take them from his hand. She smelled them and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

Emmett grinned, pleased with himself. "You're welcome, Rose. They're not as pretty as you, but no flowers are."

Just then, they both heard a burst of laughter as they spun to see Jasper laying on the floor just inside the hall doorway. He was laughing hard, clutching his belly with his hands. Rosalie marched over to him, Emmett on her heels, and, with her hands on her hips, she gave him a tongue lashing.

"Jasper Logan Hale, you stop that laughing right now!" She stomped her foot when he just ignored her and she whirled to face Emmett. "Do something, Emmett. Make him stop laughing."

Emmett, always eager to do whatever would make Rosalie happy, bent over and picked Jasper up off the floor. Jasper, still laughing, swiped at the tears on his face and tried to catch his breath.

"Ha ha ha... Em and... Rosie... sittin' in a tree... k-i-s-s... i-n-g." He was trying to sing the childish song, but he couldn't stop laughing long enough to catch his breath. He clutched at his middle and moaned. "Oh... God... my stomach..."

"It serves you right, you big jerk." Rosalie snapped at him as Emmett continued to carry him through the house. Jasper was just starting to catch his breath, his face red and wet from tears, when Emmett calmly walked through the gate by the pool and unceremoniously threw Jasper into the cold water, clothes and all.

Jasper came up sputtering and it was Rose's turn to laugh. "Emmett! Oh my God! That's the funniest thing I've ever seen." She hollered with laughter as Jasper scowled at the boy who was basically his older brother.

"What the heck, Em?" Jas shouted at him. "What'd you do that for?"

"Cuz Rosie told me to make you stop laughing." Emmett answered as though it were common sense. "You're not laughing any more, are you?"

Jasper climbed out of the pool and launched himself at Emmett and they went rolling around on the concrete patio surrounding the pool.

After a few minutes, Rosalie, still cradling the roses in her hand, stomped her foot and demanded attention. "That's enough, you neanderthals. Stop it right now."

Emmett stopped immediately, but Jasper wasn't done. He clipped Emmett on the jaw and Emmett saw stars. "I'm sorry, Em. I didn't mean it." He heard Jasper call as though from far away. He cracked open his eyes to see Rosalie above him, worry in her eyes. He felt her soft hand caressing the side of his face and grinned.

"Emmett, are you okay?" She asked, her concern for him endearing. Emmett nodded. That pain was in his chest again and he decided that he liked it. Right there, he vowed he would do whatever it took to keep it there forever.

OOO

Lynnette rolled her eyes as she and Esme watched Rosalie lead Emmett around as though by a leash. "That girl needs to learn some humility. The way she treats that boy is just not right, Es, I swear."

Esme chuckled and nodded her head. "I know, Lynne, but he lets her. It's more his fault than hers."

"I suppose, but it's just not right. Jackson laughs at them, but I know he and Carlisle wish that Emmett would stick up for himself with her."

"He will, Lynne. Some day, when it's something really important to him, he'll let her know how far she can push him. It'll be alright, you'll see." Esme assured her with a soft laugh. "Emmett's a lot smarter than we give him credit for."

"Yeah, I know... I just worry." Lynne offered, watching after their young teenagers as they disappeared into the garage.

"Em, would you hand me that socket?" Rosalie asked as she slid underneath her dad's car.

"Sure, Rosie." Emmett said as he reached into the tool box. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She called from beneath the black sports car.

Emmett slid under with her. "So, is he gonna' be mad that you're tinkering with his Mercedes?"

Rose looked at him and sighed. "I hope not. He said it needed a tune-up. Why take it to the garage when I can do it better and cheaper?"

Emmett nodded. "I know, but it's his car. It should be his choice."

Rose turned her head to look at him once more, her eyes cold. "Emmett Cullen, I'm perfectly capable of giving his damn car a tune-up."

"I know you are, Rosie, but I just don't want him to be mad because you didn't ask him first. Messing with the lawnmowers and snowblower are one thing, but his car? That's another thing totally."

"Just whose side are you on, Emmett?" Rose snapped irritably. "I'm doing my dad a favor, you'd think he'd be happy."

"You're right, Rose. I'm sure he'll be happy when he finds out what a great job you did." Emmett gave in, not wanting to argue with her.

Rose smiled at him. "Damn straight he'll be happy. This car'll run better than ever when I'm done with it."

They grinned at each other in the dim light under the car before Rose reached up to finish what she was doing. Emmett stared at her while she worked, her tongue coming out of the corner of her mouth, her sparkly, white blonde hair spread out beneath her over the garage floor and a small smudge of dirt on her pert, upturned nose. Emmett watched with fascination as the pink tip of her tongue licked at the corner of her full red lips, and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her.

The sun shone bright and Alice squealed as Emmett picked her up and pretended he was going to throw her into the pool. He loved to play with his baby sister and lavished her with attention. She had them all wrapped around her little finger, even Rose, and he loved to hear her laugh.

"No Emmy!" She cried, her giggles infectious. She had her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his chest as he swung her around again. He watched the sunlight play in the highlights of her long dark hair, and decided to use her braid as a whip to beat on Edward and Jasper. He chased them, whipping her braid at them while she screamed in delight. He glanced over at Rosalie who was laying on one of the chaise lounges reading a book. She had a grin on her face as she glanced up at him and he felt that familiar pain in his chest. He'd loved her as long as he could remember and, though they were only twelve years old, Emmett knew he would spend the rest of his life loving her.

He plopped down on the chair next to her, settling Alice in his lap. "Hey Rosie, wanna' go for a swim?"

Alice giggled as she hung onto him and watched Edward and Jasper wrestling in the nearby grass. Emmett smiled fondly down at her and then looked up at Rose again. She was pretending that she didn't know he was there and he chuckled. She loved to play this game with him and he always gave into her need for attention. He set Alice down and she ran off to jump on Jasper's back. He laughed at how cute she was and then leaned over toward Rose.

"Rosie..." he called softly in a sing-song voice. "I know you can hear me..." He saw her lips quirk and he grinned. "I see your lips moving..." He continued. "You know you're going to smile... there's nothing you can do to stop it..." Her lips quirked again and he could see the dimple in her cheek winking at him. "You know you wanna' smile... I see it trying to come out..." He laughed as her lips turned up in a grin and she swung her head towards him and giggled.

"Emmett! You're such a pain." She laughed, her eyes twinkling behind her sunglasses. "I'm trying to read."

"Come swimming with me, Rosie... please!" He begged her, giving her his most adorable pleading puppy dog eyes. When she buried her nose back in her book, he stood up and shook his wet hair so that icy droplets sprayed all over her.

"I hate you, Emmett Cullen!" She cried as she threw her book down and jumped up. She glared at him, her hands on her hips, and he laughed.

"No you don't, Rosalie Hale." He teased her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You love me."

She wrinkled up her nose like she'd smelled something rotten. "Ewwwwwww... no way. You've got boy germs."

She shrieked as he swept her up into his arms. "Boy germs, huh?" He hollered running toward the pool with her.

"Emmett Allen Cullen, if you throw me into that pool, I will beat you bloody!" She hollered as he did a canon ball right into the pool with her still in his arms.

When they came up for air, he was afraid she'd be mad at him, but she pushed her hair out of her eyes and grinned at him. He grinned back and that pain in his chest seemed to bloom into something not so painful any more.

OOO

"Emmett!" Jasper called as he ran into the Cullens' front door. He stopped, panting for air, when he saw Emmett look down at him from upstairs.

"What's going on?" Emmett asked, concern on his face. "Is Rosie okay?"

Jasper laughed in between gasping for breath. "She's fine... she's got you so whooped..." He shook his head with a chuckle. "Her and Edward are still down at the park with Ali."

"Then why the rush?" Emmett wondered, his face twisted in a scowl as he came down the stairs.

"Some guys down at the park want us to play ball." Jasper finally caught his breath after running full out the whole way. "Come and play."

Emmett growled and grabbed Jasper in a head lock. He cried out and struggled to get away. "Damn it, Em! What the hell?"

"You scared the crap outta' me, Jas." Emmett told him, laughing at his attempts to get away. "Running in here like someone was dead, or something."

Jasper tried jabbing his fingers into Emmett's side and Emmett just laughed. A kick to the back of the knee got a grunt out of him, but another bark of laughter just made Jasper fight harder.

"You might as well give up, Jas." Emmett taunted. "You're never gonna' get away unless I let you."

Jasper let his whole body go slack and Emmett loosened his hold on his best friend. Jasper let out a sigh of defeat and, chuckling, Emmett took his arm from around his neck. Whip-fast, Jasper was on his back, his arms around his throat and Emmett gasped in surprise, his hands going up to try and loosen Jasper's hold.

"Ha! Who's never gonna' get away now?" Jasper taunted, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around Emmett as he hung on for dear life.

Emmett chuckled. "Jas?" Emmett called out. "Jas? Where'd ya' go?" He felt Jasper's limbs tighten and chuckled again. "Oh well, I guess Jasper went back to the park. I suppose I better get down there." He went out the front door, Jasper still hanging on, and started walking down the road to the park.

Emmett was laughing by the time he reached the park down the street. Jasper was still hanging on and Emmett wasn't even tired. He looked up when he heard a sweet voice calling to him.

"Emmy! What's Jas doing?" Alice yelled as she ran up to them, her adorable little face alight with laughter.

"Jasper?" Emmett asked, a fake innocent expression on his face. "I don't know, Ali. Where is he?"

He watched as Rosalie approached them, a huge grin on her beautiful face. She swept her long gleaming hair behind her shoulders and laughed. "Oh my God, Emmett, is that a weird-looking monkey on your back, or what?"

Emmett grinned as Alice called out that it was Jasper on his back. "I thought I felt something on my back, but I thought it was just a butterfly."

Alice giggled and watched Jasper with shining eyes. Emmett heard Jasper growl and felt his arms tighten again.

"I ain't no butterfly!" He growled, squeezing Emmett for all he was worth. "Butterflies are for girls."

Both boys looked down at the tiny, dark girl at their feet as she put her hands on her hips in an attempt to be like Rosalie. "Jasper Hale, butterflies are for boys, too. Otherwise, how would they have baby butterflies?"

Emmett put his head back and laughed when he saw Rose cover her mouth trying not to laugh at the youngest among them. Alice stamped her foot, her tiny hands still fisted at her hips.

"Don't you laugh at me, Emmett Cullen." She gritted out in a perfect impression of Rose. Emmett and Rose both lost it then and Alice was practically spitting she was so mad. Emmett knocked Jasper off his back and scooped her up, holding her high over his head. She screamed and kicked her little legs as Rosalie yelled for Emmett to put her down.

Soon, Alice was giggling uncontrollably and Emmett kissed her cheek and set her on her feet. She grabbed Jasper's hand and pulled him to push her on the swings. Emmett looked over at Rosalie to see her looking at him with the softest expression on her face that he'd ever seen.

He grinned at her and grabbed her hand. They walked toward the baseball field where a group of their friends were waiting and Emmett felt like he was floating. His heart nearly bursting from his chest with pleasure. Maybe Rosie loved him, too? He sure couldn't wait to find out for sure.

"Emmett, we'd better get home." Edward said as they put the ball and bats back in the equipment bag. "Mom'll be mad if we're late for dinner."

"Alright, Ed." Emmett said as he zipped up the bag. "Let me stow this in the shed. I'll be right behind you guys."

"Kay!" Edward called as Jasper took Alice's hand and the three of them headed for home. Emmett put the bag in the shed that the families had pitched in for, and locked the padlock. He looked up to see Rosalie looking at him with that dreamy expression again, and his heart started beating fast.

He grinned and walked over to her. "Hey, Rosie. Thanks for waiting for me." He put out his hand and Rosalie slipped her hand into his with a small smile.

They walked across the park, hand in hand, chatting about what their first year in high school would be like next fall. Emmett fell abruptly silent and Rosalie looked at him curiously to see that he was chewing his lip, his cheeks tinged pink and his eyes downcast. She got in front of him, forcing him to stop walking and looked up into his eyes. What she saw there scared her. In their sparkling depths was a despair that she'd never seen before.

"Emmett, what is it?" She asked him, worry apparent on her face. She cupped his face in her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. "Tell me, Emmett. What's wrong?"

Emmett smiled sadly and reached out a large hand to stroke her face. "It's nothing, Rosie. I was just thinking. You know thinking takes a lot out of me."

Rosalie slapped his chest. "Damn it, Emmett! I'm serious. Besides, everyone knows your not a dumb jock, so stop with the act. Your grade point average is higher than mine." Crossing her arms in front of her, she planted her feet firmly and Emmett groaned at the stubborn look of determination on her face. "You might as well tell me, Em. I'm not budging until you do."

Emmett grinned at her. They both knew he could carry her home without much effort, but they both also knew that there would be hell to pay if he did. Rosalie could give as well as she got.

Tapping her foot, Emmett let out a chuckle and Rosalie's face became concerned. "Come on, Emmett, please tell me what's bothering you." She reached up to frame his face again. "If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

Emmett sighed, he might as well get it over with, she'd give him no peace until he did. "Well, I was thinking, next year, there will be a lot of guys realizing how pretty you are, and I don't know if I can handle them hanging all over you."

Rose giggled. "Oh, Emmett, you're sweet, but the only guys I'll have hanging on me, will be the ones I want. You know I won't put up with their crap."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Rose." It was his turn to take her face in his hands. "What if you meet someone you'd rather be with than me?" He blushed and looked down at his feet. "I mean, I know we ain't goin' together, or nothin', but I like us always being together."

Rosalie chuckled at his insecurity, but decided to give him a break when he looked at her with real pain in his beautiful blue eyes. "Emmett, I'm only going to say this once. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She laughed when his whole face lit up and his eyes widened. "I don't want anyone else. I've always loved you, and it's not going to change, so you might as well get used to the idea that you're stuck with me."

Emmett let out a laugh of pure joy and grabbed Rose up into his arms. Before either of them knew what he was doing, his lips were on hers in a sweet kiss. Rose gasped and pushed him away, and Emmett looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, Rose. I was just so... happy." When she grinned at him, he grinned back, but then she did something that surprised him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. She set her lips on his in a soft, innocent kiss, and Emmett couldn't help but pull her against him and deepen the kiss until they were both breathless.

Emmett raised his head and saw that Rose's eyes were sparkling and she had a small smile on her face. She licked her lips and Emmett groaned. With a small chuckle, Rosalie grabbed his hand and tugged him toward home.

"God, Rose. That was amazing." Emmett told her, his voice low, his face still showing his wonder.

Rosalie giggled and licked her lips again. "It was, and you know what, you taste really good, Em. I could kiss you all day." She told him, boldly, and then laughed again when he blushed.

That night, Emmett lay in his bed thinking about how he'd enjoyed kissing Rosalie and how she'd told him she loved him. He couldn't get over the fact that the most beautiful girl in the world, loved him. He was still a little worried that she'd change her mind and find someone else but, for now, he'd try to be everything she wanted so he'd always make her happy.

OOO

"Emmett." Rosalie gasped as his tongue ran along her throat. "Oh, God... you've got to stop."

"No, Rosie, not tonight." He groaned, licking down to the top of her breasts. He reached up to push the lace of her bra aside and took her silky, pink nipple between his lips. "I want you so bad, Rosie. Don't make me stop, please."

Rosalie threw her head back as the sensations rushed through her. The throbbing between her legs was exquisite torture, the swollen, wetness just begging for his touch, but she knew they had to stop or they'd go too far, and she just wasn't ready yet.

Stroking her hand through his thick, dark curls, Rosalie tried to break it to him gently. "Em... I'm sorry, Em... we have to stop, baby. I'm just... not ready." She felt Emmett groan again against her sensitive breast as he buried his face in her cleavage, inhaling deeply. "Come on, baby, you know I want to... I'm just... not ready... okay?"

Emmett nodded, his face still between her large, round breasts, and she could feel him rubbing her back. Finally, he raised his head and looked into her eyes.

"You know I love you, Rosalie. I won't do anything you don't want to do, but you're killing me here." He said with another groan and shifted on the seat of his mom's SUV. Rosalie laughed and continued to run her fingers through his hair. He reached up and straightened her bra before pulling her blouse closed and attempting to fasten the buttons. She gently pushed his hands away and finished them herself and then ran her hands through her hair, trying to smooth it from where Emmett had fisted his hands in its silky mass.

Emmett reached out and ran his finger over her bottom lip. "You're so beautiful, my Rose." He murmured to her, his eyes intent on her face. "I love you so much."

Rosalie fastened the last button and kissed him again. "I love you, too, my big strong man, but we need to calm down some before we go home." She pulled on his hand and led him out of the backseat. They both stretched in the cool, night air before venturing out across the beach.

The stars shone bright in the autumn sky and the moon hung low over the lake. Rosalie pointed up at the sky and Emmett looked up just in time to see a shooting star fly overhead.

"You should make a wish, Rosie, honey." His deep voice gentle in her ear. She smiled at him and pulled him to her.

"You know what I want, Em. I don't need to wish on a star." He smiled lovingly at her, both their eyes shining with the love they felt. It'd always been like this between them. The love they felt for each other had grown and matured, but there had always been that attraction, that depth of caring, that closeness, and they reveled in how blessed they were.

"Fine, I'll make a wish, then." Emmett told her, lightly touching his lips to hers. He reached down and lifted her hand in his, fiddling with the ring he'd given her over the summer. "I wish, that the most beautiful girl in all the world, would be my wife before I go off to college."

Rosalie smiled and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back, Emmett could've sworn he saw tears in her eyes, but she looked down before he could be sure. "I'd love that, too, Em, but you know our parents will never go for it."

"It's not their life, Rose, it's ours. If we want to marry, they can't stop us." He told her, determination in his eyes.

She searched his face, afraid to get into the argument they never could agree on. As she looked at him, her heart ached in her chest. He was so handsome and sweet, the best man she knew, even next to her daddy, and his, and she loved him with a fierceness she couldn't explain.

"Okay." She finally said. "If that's what you really want, we'll do it." She told him, her face soft with love.

Emmett let out a whoop and lifted her to twirl her around, his happiness bursting out of him. When he finally set her down, she was out of breath, but barely noticed as she drank in the joy on his face.

"I can't believe it, Rose. You really mean it? You'll marry me, even if our parents say no?" At her nod, Emmett grabbed her against him and covered her lips in a smoldering kiss. By the time she was able to push him gently away, they were both panting, and Emmett had to adjust his pants again.

Rosalie let out a teasing laugh and ran back to the car, her blonde hair glowing in the moonlight. Emmett ran after her and swooped her up into his arms again. Leaning her against the car, he kissed her again, still not believing that she had finally agreed to be his wife. "I should've gotten you an engagement ring, Rose. If I'd have known you were going to say yes this time, I would've."

"It doesn't matter, Em." She held up her left hand. "I've got this ring, and this means more to me than all of the biggest diamond rings in the world." He kissed her hand and helped her into the car.

On the drive home, Rosalie chewed her lip, her mind in deep thought. Emmett sensed that she needed to work things out in her head, so he let his mind wander in the fields of his own thoughts. As they drew near their homes, Rosalie turned to look at her love, her eyes concerned, her face worried.

"Em? I know you're not going to like this, but I don't think we should tell our parents yet." She told him gently. "You know they're just going to freak out, and we have the whole school year before we graduate. Do you mind if we wait until after Christmas to tell them?"

Emmett felt disappointment fill him, but he realized that she was right. If they told their parents now, they would have the whole year to try and talk them out of it. If they waited until after Christmas to tell them, they'd still have the spring to make plans, but everyone would be so busy with graduation and getting ready for summer, maybe there wouldn't be that much of a fuss.

"Alright, Rose, we'll wait until after Christmas, but we will tell them right after. No more stalling, okay?" He glanced over to see Rosalie gazing at him with the dreamiest smile, stars of love in her eyes.

"Okay, Em." She whispered before laying her head back on the seat and closing her eyes. "It'll be so exciting to go off to college as man and wife." She let out a dramatic sigh and Emmett laughed.

"I've never seen you act so... girly, Rose." He teased her. She opened one eye to look at him and grinned.

"Well, it's not every day a girl is proposed to." She giggled. "We have so many plans to make. I can't wait." Emmett rolled his eyes, but a huge satisfied grin split his face.

OOO

"Emmett! You don't really think that?" Rosalie asked, shock evident on her face.

"Well, Rose, if you'd have listened to me way back when this thing first started, we wouldn't be having this problem. You always stick up for Jas, no matter what he does." Emmett stated, his face furious.

"Emmett Cullen, he's my brother..." Rose sputtered, her hands on her hips.

"And Ali's my sister." Emmett interrupted, firmly, bending down so their noses were almost touching. He was so mad at Rosalie that he could spit. Couldn't she, just this once, see that what Jasper was doing was wrong? He loved Jasper as though he were his own brother, but his bullying of Alice was going to stop. There was no way he was going to just stand by and let him treat his baby sister like a possession.

"Fine!" Rosalie hollered, putting one hand on Emmett's chest, pushing him away. "I was just trying to get things back to normal, but if you want to act like a big ass, go ahead. I'll take my brother home and you can take yours. Don't bother coming over or calling me later, either." With that, Rosalie barged into the office and closed the door behind her.

Emmett felt anger surging through him, hotter than it ever had before. She was being totally unreasonable and he just wanted to hit something. He turned to pace the floor, rubbing the back of his neck and, as he turned, he spotted Bella, Seth and Alice standing nearby, watching him.

"Oh... hey, guys..." His eyes lit on Alice's worried face and he tried to make his expression calm. "How ya' doin'?"

Alice stood with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open as she watched him. She'd never heard Emmett raise his voice at anyone before, especially Rosalie, and it scared her.

"Um... we're... uh... we're good, Em." Seth answered hesitantly and Bella just nodded.

Emmett nodded at them, also, but his eyes were trained on his baby sister. He'd always tried to be the best big brother he could be, but now she was looking at him like she was afraid of him.

"Ali?" He said softly as he took a step toward her. Just then, the office door opened and Rose and Jasper came out. Rose looked at them with hurt eyes and a grim mouth, and steered Jasper down the hallway. Jasper's head hung in shame, but his eyes drank in Alice's despondent form as they passed.

She just stared at the floor, clutching her books to her chest, refusing to look at him, and Emmett felt his heart clench at her unhappiness. He ran his hand through his hair wishing he could do something to bring back her smile.

The office door opened again, and Edward walked out, a look of shame on his face, as well. "Sorry, Em." He whispered when he saw his brother's face.

Emmett reached out and ruffled his hair. He knew that Edward and Jasper would work it out. They'd fought before and had always managed to get through it. Rosalie was the one he was worried about. He didn't know if he could work it out with her, if she continued to think that Alice was wrong to break up with Jasper.

"It's okay, Ed. We'll work this out." He sighed and looked over at Ali. "You ready to head home, Short Stuff?"

Alice nodded her head, but kept her eyes on the floor. "Bye, Seth... Bella. Talk to you later." She mumbled as she walked over to her brothers.

"Either of you need a ride?" Emmett asked looking at Bella and Seth. He couldn't leave them if they needed a ride, no matter how bad he just wanted to get home and hide in his room.

Seth shook his head, anxiety making him uncomfortable. "No, thanks. My... uh... sister... drives us..." He told them, his face flushing. "I'll see you all later." He gave Alice one last small smile and left.

Emmett watched him go, feeling sorry that his sister was such a bitch. Jasper may think that there was some good in her, but Emmett knew different, and no one messed with his family, not if he had anything to say about it.

Bella looked over to see Edward staring at her. She blushed and looked up at Emmett.

"Um...Emmett, is it alright if I come with you guys?" Bella asked tentatively. Edward smiled and glanced at Emmett. He knew he wasn't happy with him for fighting with Jas, and he wasn't sure how he'd react.

"It's fine with me." He said enthusiastically, smiling hopefully at his brother. Emmett grinned at him. He knew that his little brother had it bad for Miss Bella Swan. He was happy for him, especially because now, Edward was no longer the odd man out. His grin slipped a little as he remembered that both he and Alice were now the odd ones out.

"Yeah, of course it's alright, Bells. Come on, let's go." Emmett started down the hall toward the parking lot, the younger kids following behind.

The next few days were agonizing for Emmett. Ever since Jasper and Edward's fight, he'd caught Rosalie flirting with every guy at school. He knew she was just trying to make him mad, but he just didn't want to fight with her. The last straw came when he and Alice pulled into his driveway after school to see her getting out of Dylan Shane's car.

He and Dylan had been friends for years, and it hurt to see that he'd jumped in to take Emmett's place the minute he and Rosalie had a problem. What the hell was wrong with his friends suddenly moving in on his and Jasper's girls? First Matt, now Dylan.

He slammed the door of his Jeep, leaving Ali in the passenger seat, and stormed toward the house. He just couldn't deal with this shit right now and wondered if he'd ever be able to forgive Rose. He barked at Alice when she didn't get out of the car and went up the walk. A few minutes later, his anger cleared and he noticed that Alice hadn't followed behind him.

Putting a hand up to his forehead, he berated himself for being an ass. Alice didn't deserve to be treated like that. He walked back out the door to see her sobbing in the front seat of his Jeep. Feeling like the biggest jerk alive, he carried her into the house, trying to reassure her that she hadn't done anything wrong. He knew he should've put a stop to her and Jas a long time ago. Alice was just too damn sweet and insecure to put up with Jasper's shit. No matter what Rosalie said, Jasper had treated her like crap, and Emmett was the first to admit that it had shocked the hell out of him. Jasper had always been so protective and adoring with Alice, to see the way he was with her now, was like watching a different person. He didn't think anyone had suspected what had been going on and even their parents had felt the shame of what had been going on right under all of their noses.

Rosalie watched the boy sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't concentrate on the movie, all she could think about was what Emmett would say when he found out that she'd gone out with someone else. She had to fight the urge to jump up and run out of the theater with everything she had.

Dylan Shane was a truly nice guy and she knew he'd had a crush on her since seventh grade. He'd made it quite obvious by mooning over her and going out of his way to talk to her any chance he'd gotten. She's been nice to him, but she'd also been very impatient with him and she'd known that she'd hurt his feelings on more than one occasion. Maybe that's why she'd felt that she couldn't turn down his invitation to the movies. She'd used him to get at Emmett by letting him drive her home and she'd felt guilty when the plan had backfired and Emmett hadn't even acknowledged them sitting in her driveway. She just hadn't had the heart to tell Dylan no when he'd asked, and now she'd pay for it in more ways than one.

"Why am I so determined to get back at Emmett for having his own opinion?" She wondered, not for the first time. She'd been so pissed off at him in front of the dean's office the day that Edward and Jasper had gotten into a fight over Ali. She'd vowed right there not to even talk to him until he changed his mind, but she really had no right to ask him to change his mind. Alice was his sister, after all, and Alice had the right to her opinion, as well. She just couldn't stand looking at Jasper when he was so unhappy and, as far as she could tell, Alice was just being hard to get along with. She was being a spoiled brat and was mad at something that wasn't even Jasper's fault. Plus, all that had passed before the incident with Mara in their garage, had happened a while ago already, and Jasper had apologized over and over again.

Rose let out a little sigh and she saw Dylan look toward her. She turned and gave him a little smile wishing that the movie would hurry and get over. Dylan grinned back at her and she groaned inwardly. God! She'd just encouraged him without even trying. She tried desperately not to roll her eyes, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, she really didn't. She just wanted to get home so that she could try to sort out her feelings and make some kind of plan to rectify her situation.

Finally, the movie was over and the credits began to roll. She sat up in her chair and stretched her back. Dylan smiled at her, his eyes going right to her thrust-out breasts, and stretched, as well.

Rosalie quickly sat up straight. She didn't want to encourage Dylan more than she already had.

"How'd you like the movie, Rosalie?" He asked her eagerly. Since she hadn't really paid much attention to it, she really didn't know how to answer his question.

"Um... it was pretty good..." She said with a wince. She really hoped it hadn't sucked, then he'd know for sure that she hadn't paid any attention.

"Yeah? I thought it was really great." Dylan gushed. "I can't believe how great the acting and special affects were. Usually an action flick either has crappy special effects, or crappy acting, but this one was actually really good."

Rose smiled. "I'm really glad that you liked it, Dyl." She told him. "You ready to go home?"

Dylan looked somewhat disappointed, but he stood up and waited for Rose to gather her purse and jacket. He escorted her from the theater and kept his hands in his pockets as they walked to his car.

"So... you, um... you talk to Em... lately?" He stuttered, trying to act natural.

Rose gritted her teeth. She'd known this was a bad idea right from the start. "Actually, I have a... date... to talk with him tonight." She managed to get out, her jaw aching from how hard she was grinding her teeth together. "At nine o'clock."

"Oh, that's... good... " He muttered, looking like someone had killed his puppy. Rose felt her heart give a little squeeze, but there was no way she was going out with him any more after tonight.

She laid her hand over his, a sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, Dylan."

Dylan chuckled. "You didn't, Rosalie. I know you and Emmett are forever, I just thought I'd grab my chance to spend some time with you." His face morphed into a worried frown. "You don't think that Em will want to beat me up, do you?" His eyes widened and he looked at Rose with horror. "God, I never thought about what he must think. He'll know I was just helping you make him jealous, right?"

Rosalie laughed and squeezed his hand. "Dylan, you'll be fine. I promise that Emmett won't even be mad at you, okay?"

Dylan nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Rose." He tried to smile, but it didn't quite turn out the way he thought, and looked more like a grimace.

Rosalie laughed again. She was happy that she didn't have to worry about hurting Dylan. Then, a thought sobered her. She only had to worry about hurting the man she'd loved all her life.

OOO

Emmett frowned as he watched Rosalie and Dylan drive by in his car. He didn't know how he was going to get through their break up, but he was starting to think that, if they got back together, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get married right away, after all. If she ever stopped being so stubborn, maybe they could make up, but waiting until they were older to marry, was looking better and better. He'd have to really concentrate to keep his grades up in college and still play ball, and he didn't want Rose and her attitude distracting him all the time. If he didn't make the pros, he didn't know what he'd do.

The more he thought about his future, the more he wondered if he was doing the right thing by wanting Rosalie to come with him. Professional baseball was all he'd thought about doing, as long as he could remember. If he caught the eye of a scout in college, he'd be able to write his own ticket. If he was distracted by Rose, maybe there'd be no ticket to write. He chewed his lip as he wandered back into the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator, Emmett stood looking for something to drink. He'd just poured a glass of juice when he heard a soft tap on the back door. Seeing Jasper looking back at him through the window in the door, he sighed, he just wasn't in the mood for Jasper tonight.

"Uh... hey, Em..." Jasper greeted him tentatively, a half smile on his face. "Can I... talk to you?"

Emmett balked at letting Jasper in. He was hurting and didn't feel like talking about anything serious right now.

Jasper saw the indecision on Emmett's face and he felt a pain in his chest. He and Em had always been close as brothers, and it hurt him deeply to be the cause of the look on his face.

"Please, Em? Just for a minute?" Jasper pleaded, watching Emmett closely. Emmett's face relaxed some and he nodded his head.

"Alright, Jas, come on in." He stepped back to let Jasper in and closed the door behind him. "What do you want?"

Jasper looked uncomfortable and reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I figured out some stuff... just now... and I wanted to... you know, talk to you about it."

Emmett sighed half-heartedly and gestured for Jasper to have a seat at the table. He knew Jasper would want to talk about Ali. He loved Jasper, but he'd never take his side over Ali's. Ali had a right to her opinion, and he wasn't going to do anything to try and talk her back into Jasper's arms.

Taking a seat across from Jasper, Emmett propped his head on his hands. "Okay, Jas, spill. What's goin' on?" Emmett muttered, looking at him with dull eyes.

"Em, I think I figured out what's going on with Ali." Jasper gushed, a big smile on his face. Emmett lifted his head off his hands and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, Jas! Not this shit again." Emmett exclaimed, glaring at Jasper for wasting his time. "I can't deal with this right now." He started to get up from the table, he didn't want to hurt Jasper's feelings, but his head was full of thoughts of him and Rosalie, and he just didn't want to deal with anything else tonight. Before he got very far, Jasper held out his hand, his words desperate.

"No, Em! This is different. I swear." His face relaxed as Emmett sat back down, a look of expectation on his face. "I was talking to Rose... uh... before... and I was feeling sorry for myself... you know, about Ali... and I thought that maybe, she's just feeling, you know... confused, like me. I mean... we're both pretty young, right? And I'm constantly questioning myself... my feelings and what I want to do with my life... and Ali is... well, pretty sheltered. I was thinking... maybe she doesn't really know what she's feeling, either. Maybe she thinks that she should stay away from me because she feels hurt, but doesn't realize that it's not me that hurt her. I mean, I know I hurt her, but not on purpose."

Emmett watched the emotions roll over Jasper's face and then the hopeful expression that now shown on it. He shook his head slightly and cleared his throat. He was relieved to hear that Jasper was finally getting it.

"I understand what you're saying, Jas, but I don't think that Ali thinks that you tried to hurt her on purpose. She understands that you didn't initiate the thing with Mara. She even understands about Savannah." Emmett paused as he searched for a way to break it gently to his dearest friend. "She just doesn't want to... feel that way again... you know? She's... trying to protect herself, Jas."

Jasper still looked hopeful and Emmett let out a sigh. "I know that, Em, but she has to understand that I don't try to hurt her. I even had a talk with Mara and she knows I love Ali and promised that she won't do anything like that again. In fact, I offered to introduce her to Nick." Jasper chuckled. "I actually think that her and Nick will get along great. Don't you?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, he's really easy-going and she seems... well... intense, so they should bounce off each other pretty well."

"I think so, too!" Jasper said happily. "Just like you and Rose!" At Emmett's look, Jasper reddened. "Oh... sorry, Em." He looked ashamed and the silence was thick between them. Finally, Jasper tried to made amends. "Em... you know she's just... messing with you, right? With the whole... Dylan thing?"

Emmett sighed and met his eyes. He knew very well what Rosalie was up to, he just felt bad having Jasper being in the middle of it. "Yeah, Jas, I know. She's being really unfair to all of us, and I can't believe she'd go that far over this."

Both guys sat in thought when they heard a small gasp from the direction of the doorway. Before Alice could escape, though, Jasper stood up. Emmett wanted to jump to her defense when he saw the anxious look in her eyes, but he waited, giving her the opportunity to decide for herself.

"Hi, Ali." Jasper said softly. "How... are you?" He watched her with eager eyes, his mouth in a small smile, but sadness evident, too.

"Um... I'm... okay... and you?" She managed, her eyes not quite meeting his. Emmett continued to watch her for any signs of distress, but she held her own and finally looked up at Jasper.

"I'm good." He told her, his eyes drinking her in. Emmett's chest ached for him at the familiar look on his face. "I wondered if... we could... talk for a minute?" He asked her tentatively. When she looked uncertain, he rushed on. "Just for a minute."

Alice looked over at Emmett for reassurance and he nodded slightly. They needed to talk and now was as good time as any. Her eyes swung back to Jasper and she was a little shocked to notice how tired he looked. "Okay... Jas... just for a minute."

His smile lit up the room and Alice felt the jolt all the way to her toes. Her eyes swung to Emmett and he smiled at her and, with a slight nod, he got up to leave the room.

"I'll be right in the living room, munchkin." He told her before leaving the room. "See ya' later, Jas."

"See ya'. Oh, and Em?" Jasper said, watching Emmett pause and turn to look at him. "Thanks."

Emmett smiled and nodded. "No problem, Jas. We're good, huh?"

Jasper nodded, his eyes gleaming, a silly smile on his face. "We're good."

Emmett nodded once more and went into the living room. He heard the soft murmur of voices and then the back door close. He was waiting to see if Alice needed to talk when he heard his mom come in from the garage.

_"Well, at least Ali has someone to talk to besides me."_ He thought as he rubbed his hands over his face. He tried not to think about Rosalie and Dylan out together, but all he could think of was Rosalie's smile directed at someone else.

With a sigh, Emmett laid down on the couch, not feeling like doing much of anything.

He'd just gotten settled on the couch, when his mom walked in.

"Hi, Em." Esme greeted her eldest son. He looked so sad and her heart was breaking for him "Ali, Edward and I are going to get some ice cream. You wanna' come, honey?"

Emmett shook his head. "No, thanks anyway, Mom."

Esme smiled gently at him and followed Alice back out through the kitchen. Emmett heard the garage door open and his mom's car pull out. Laying back on the couch, he was startled to hear someone come back in the kitchen door from the garage.

Raising up on his elbow, he was surprised to see Rosalie standing there, an anxious expression on her face.

"Hi, Em." She said quietly, her eyes sad and soft as she looked at him. "Can I... talk to you?" She asked hesitantly.

Emmett sat up and patted the couch next to him. "Sure, Rose. Come on in." He tried to act nonchalant, but he felt like he'd been kicked in the gut.

Perching on the edge of the couch cushion, Rosalie cleared her throat a few times, trying to remember what she'd rehearsed on the drive back from the movies. Drawing a blank in her nervousness, she decided to wing it and just speak from her heart.

"I... I'm so sorry, Em." She started out, watching his eyes intently. He looked at her blankly, waiting. She cleared her throat again and squared her shoulders. "I'm sorry for... everything, not respecting your opinion, for trying to make you jealous and for... Dylan."

She sat there looking down at her hands, waiting for him to say something. When he just sat there, she searched her mind for something else to say. She'd never felt so insecure and at a loss for words before, especially with Emmett. She finally looked up at him, her eyes beseeching him to help her out.

He reached over and took her hand in his. "I'm disappointed that you drug Dylan into it, Rose. We've been friends for a long time, and he knows that I wouldn't be happy with him going out with you."

Rosalie looked ashamed and studied her hands again. "I know." She finally admitted. "He knew that he was only helping to make you jealous, but I admit that I acted impulsively. I'm really sorry." She looked up and straight into his beautiful blue eyes. "Can you ever forgive me, Em?"

Emmett stared at her, his mind going a million miles and hour. He knew he could forgive her, but would she forgive him when he told her about wanting to wait to get married?

He gave her a short nod. "Yeah, I forgive you, my Rose." Then, before he could say anything else, Rose began again, encouraged by his generosity.

"I know I don't deserve it, Em. I was wrong about Ali, I know that, but it hurts me to see Jas in so much pain. He really does love her, you know?" She begged him with her eyes to understand.

He released her hand and reached up to cup her face. "I know, Rosie. Jasper's a good guy. He'll work it out. I just want him to realize that he can't treat Ali badly just because he feels insecure." At her nod, he continued. "She doesn't deserve it. Besides, their way too young for the kind of relationship they had. I'm hopeful that they'll work it out and he'll appreciate her more. Anyway, it's Ali's decision. I just want to be there for her."

A tear ran down Rosalie's cheek and Emmett gawked at her. He'd hardly ever seen Rose cry and he couldn't understand why she was. He used both hands to hold her perfect face and wiped at the tear with his thumb.

"Rose?" He said, the concern in his voice, touching Rosalie all the way to her soul.

Another tear escaped and Rose reached up to cover both of Emmett's hands with hers. As they gazed into each other's eyes, Rose gave him a watery smile.

"I love you so much, Emmett. I couldn't live without you." She told him, her love shining out for all the world to see. "I know it won't be easy for you, loving and living with me, but I swear it'll be worth it." She laughed at the grin that broke out on his face. "I'll always try to support you and see things from your side, even when I don't agree, and I'll never play any tricks or lie to you, again."

Emmett lost his grin as he gazed at her full lips. Her straight, white teeth worried her lip, making it redder and fuller than usual. Rosalie saw a spark in his eyes just before he leaned in to cover her lips with his. He kissed her sweetly, at first, causing her to sigh against his mouth. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tighter to her, causing him to deepen the kiss, and she opened her lips to inhale his sweet breath. Emmett moved his hands to tangle in her long hair, groaning deep in his throat.

"Rose." He breathed, surprise making his voice come out in a whisper as she moved to straddle his lap.

She ground herself against his rising desire and he attempted to gently push her away. "Rose... what're you doing?"

"I want you to love me, Emmett." She whispered against his tongue, infusing his mouth with her soft moans. "I want us to be together... I need us... tobe together."

Emmett set her off his lap and stood up. "No, Rose, not like this. We have a lot to talk about first."

Rosalie couldn't cover the hurt on her face. She was offering Emmett something he'd wanted for a very long time, and he was turning her down. Maybe he didn't love her enough, after all. Maybe she had imagined that he loved her as much as she loved him.

"Fine." She snapped, whirling toward the door. "Let me know when you're available to talk. Until then, you know where I'll be."

Emmett sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat. Would she ever just stop and listen?

"Rosalie... please, just listen." He pleaded, half-heartedly. He knew she wouldn't stop, but he had to try.

She stomped out the front door, slamming it behind her. Emmett went slowly up the stairs, more than ready to crawl in his bed, unable to deal with another thing today.

OOO

The days flew by and the Cullen kids and Jasper enjoyed a friendly truce. Rosalie still avoided them as much as possible, but would smile at Alice and Edward whenever she saw them. She pointedly ignored Emmett, however, and even tried to make sure to be talking to other guys when he was around.

Emmett's blood boiled when she did this, not only because he knew she was doing it on purpose, but also because she was using their friends to try and make him jealous. He knew she loved him, just as he loved her, but her childish antics were still making him think twice about their future together. How could he concentrate on school and baseball if he was always worrying about her pulling some kind of power play?

He wandered toward the locker room to change for football practice, his spirits low, when he felt a touch on his arm.

"Em? You hear me, bro?" Emmett focused on his friend, Nick's, face. "Oh! Hey, Nick."

"Hey. How's it going. Em?" Nick asked, falling into step next to his long-time friend. "Sorry about you and Rose."

"Thanks, man." Emmett said with a nod. "It's cool, though. She's just pulling a power struggle. We'll be fine."

Relief washed over Nick's face. "I'm glad, man. I heard she was going with Dylan. I was hoping that rumor was wrong. You and Rosie've been together forever."

Emmett scowled. "Yeah... forever, but that's part of her plan. She wants me to be jealous and confront her. It pisses me off that she's using him, though. We've been friends a long time and it ain't fair to him, ya' know?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah... but he knows the score. Dicks before chicks, right? You don't move in on your bro's girl. It ain't right."

"No, it ain't, but Rose can be pretty... persuasive..." Emmett offered and both guys chuckled. "I suppose we can't totally blame Dyl."

"I suppose." Nick agreed, holding open the locker room door for Emmett and then following him inside. "Speaking of girls, you know anything about this Mara chick? Jas wants to introduce me and I hear she's pretty hot."

"Well... she's..." Emmett started, then looked searchingly at Nick. _Should he tell him the truth? Or should he let him make his own assumption? He and Nick had been friends since Kindergarten and he was asking for his opinion._ "You sure Jas ain't trying to get even with you for helping Matt Davidson dance with Ali at our Fourth of July party?"

"Wow. She that bad?" Nick asked, his face showing his concern. "I thought me and Jas were cool. You think he's still pissed about that?"

"I don't know. What did he say?" Emmett asked, a perplexed look on his face. Jasper was pretty possessive when it came to Alice, and he hated Matt with a passion.

"He just asked me if I'd be interested in meeting her and that he thought we'd like each other." Nick said, a baffled look on his face.

"Well, Jas is too nice for his own good, especially when it comes to girls. I personally think the girl is a bitch but, if you wanna' go ahead and meet her, maybe you'll hit it off, who knows?" Emmett told him truthfully. "It would be great if you did, maybe she wouldn't be so vile."

The two boys laughed together and Nick slapped Emmett on the back. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Em."

"Any time." Emmett chuckled and they made their way to their lockers. Leave it to Jasper to want to help the girl who totally screwed up his life. Emmett shook his head, too bad Jasper wasn't that patient with Ali. His possessiveness toward her was baffling to him. He'd never felt that way towards Rosalie, not even when he saw her sitting in Dylan's car. It hurt his feelings, sure, but he hadn't once wanted to hurt her, or Dylan, either.

He pulled on his practice gear and gave a silent 'thank you' that football would be over soon. He didn't play a winter sport, so he spent the cold months conditioning for baseball, and he looked forward to the extra time to just get things straightened out, especially in his own head.

"Hey, Em!" Emmett looked up to see his coach gesturing to him. "You ready, buddy?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah! Be right there."

"Okay, see you outside." The coach went out the door and Emmett stuffed his feet into his cleats and ran out behind him, his helmet in his hand.

After practice, Emmett felt exhausted. All he wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. He'd been sleeping a lot lately, but he just couldn't shake the dark cloud that seemed to follow him around. All he wanted was his life back, back to the way things were, with everyone happy, and he and Rosalie spending all of their spare time together. With a sigh, he walked slowly to his Jeep and tried to remember if it was his turn to wait for Edward and Jasper, or Rosalie's.

Emmett sat in his Jeep, resting in the seat until he caught sight of Ali. He didn't know if she'd waited for him, of gone on with Rose, but he wasn't leaving until he knew who was supposed to be doing what today.

Emmett jumped up in a panic and saw Ali jump back from the window. He chuckled at her surprised face and she grinned at him. Rolling the window down, Emmett asked Alice what she was doing.

"Well, you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you, but it's almost time for the boys to come out." She told him, a slightly worried expression on her face. She looked searchingly at his face. "Are you alright, Em?"

Emmett nodded. "I'm fine, Teensy, just tired." He grinned at her and she smiled back. "Well, come on in. You better grab the front seat before Edward does."

Alice giggled and ran around to get in the passenger seat of Emmett's Jeep. No sooner was she seated, when Jasper and Edward came running out.

"Hey!" Edward called when he saw Alice in the front seat. "No fair!"

Alice giggled as Jasper made fun of Edward, and Emmett just shook his head. He could never understand Edward's need to be in the front, but he loved foiling his plan now that Ali was tall enough to sit in the front.

Jasper got into the back seat, sharing a grin with Alice as Edward continued to grumble about having to sit in the back. Emmett smiled to himself at the normalcy of the simple display, and his heart sang with the knowledge that things were as close to normal as they could be without he and Rosalie being back together. It was a balm to his wounded soul, though, and he'd take it.

Emmett smiled the whole way home, feeling the best he'd felt in a long time, and turned to look at Alice as she sat humming to the radio next to him, her small feet bobbing to the beat. He listened to Jasper and Edward talking about their upcoming football game and he reveled in the familiar sense of family that he felt.

Arriving at home, the boys ran to Jasper's to try out the new video game he'd gotten a few days ago.

"Thanks, Em!" Jasper called. "Talk to you later."

Emmett waved and followed Alice into the house. A nice warm shower and his bed was all he wanted. He wasn't even hungry, which he knew drove his mom crazy since he was usually always hungry, but losing himself in his dreams was his escape from a world without Rose.

"Hey kids, how was your day?" Esme asked Emmett and Alice as they walked into the house.

"It was good." Alice said, setting down her bag and giving her mom a hug. "We had a substitute for Art and she let us do whatever we wanted, so I painted you a picture."

"Alice, that's so nice. Did you bring it home with you?" Esme gushed, excited to see what her talented daughter had come up with.

"No, I had to let it dry, but I'll bring it home on Monday." Alice told her, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a glass of juice.

Esme turned to Emmett and a sad smile graced her lips. "Oh, Em, how was your day, honey?"

Emmett shrugged. "It was pretty good, Mom. I'm glad football is almost over, though. It just seems like I'm always tired." Esme walked over to hug him and smoothed the curls off his forehead.

"You could use a haircut, sweetie." She told him as he leaned into the hand that was now cupping his face. Esme sighed, when had her baby grown so big? "I almost forgot, Dad's going to be home in a little while and wants to take us to dinner."

Emmett shrugged. "Mom, would you mind if I didn't go?" He asked, his voice slightly pleading. "I really just want to take a hot shower and go to bed."

He watched his mom's face as she tried hard to hide her concern. "Em, I hate to leave you all alone, especially when you're feeling so down."

Emmett hated to disappoint his mom, but he just didn't have it in him to go out tonight. He didn't think he'd ever missed a family dinner unless he and Rose had plans, or he'd been sick, so it didn't seem like that big of a deal to him.

"It's just one night, Mom, besides, I'm not feeling that down. I'm just tired." He explained, taking in his mom's worried face. He decided to tease her a bit and, shaking his head in mock horror and raising his hand to his forehead, he called out, "Oh no! Emmett's not hungry? It's the end of the world." He laughed when his mom smacked him on the chest.

"Emmett, that is not nice." She said, her eyes twinkling with humor. _"At least he's gotten some of his playfulness back."_ Esme thought as she giggled at his silliness. He kissed her cheek and started for the stairs.

"If I get hungry, I'll make myself something. It's not that big of a deal, Mom." Emmett assured her. "I'll be fine."

Esme watched him go, her heart heavy in her chest for her eldest baby boy.

Emmett stepped out of the shower feeling totally relaxed. He didn't really feel sad or angry, he just felt bone weary. He finished drying off and slipped on a pair of clean boxers. Making his way back to his room, he absorbed the peace and quiet of the house.

Emmett frowned as he noticed that his bedroom door was closed. He knew he'd left it open when he'd gone to shower. He approached the door carefully and opened it slowly, just peaking into the room. There, laying on his bed, was Rosalie, curled up around his pillow.

He approached the bed quietly, admiring the roundness of her bottom as she lay with her legs curled against the pillow. Her breasts rose and fell slowly with each breath as she slept peacefully waiting for him. She must've come over and seen that he was in the shower and fallen asleep. He grinned down at her, loving how comfortable she was in his bed.

He reached down and gently swept a golden lock from her cheek and her bright green eyes popped open. She looked startled for a second before she focused on his face.

Emmett's face softened when he saw her brief second of vulnerability. She didn't show it often, and he figured he was the only one to see it in years.

"Hi." He greeted her, his blue eyes loving, his smile sweet. "I'm glad you came to see me."

Rosalie returned his smile. "Hi. I'm glad I did, too." She patted the bed next to her and scooted over. Emmett laid down next to her and they turned to face on another. "Emmett, I'm so sorry that I'm such a bitch. I don't mean to be."

Emmett stroked her cheek. "You're not a bitch, Rose, you just need to realize that I'm not always going to agree with you. That doesn't mean you're wrong, it just means we're two different people with two different minds."

"I suppose you're right." She whispered, looking at the bed, her face ashamed. Emmett watched her fondly. He knew it was hard for her to admit that she was wrong, plus she was so used to him always doing or saying what she wanted, that it would take her a while to process it.

She looked up quickly, her eyes vulnerable, and he smiled reassuringly at her. He continued to stroke her cheek and she leaned into his hand.

"How come you're so good to me, Em? I really don't deserve you." Her sad eyes searched his face for an answer.

Emmett reached his other hand up so he was cupping her face. "It's a simple answer, babe. I love you." He told her, his eyes drinking her in. "I've loved you my whole life. I'm not about to stop now."

Tears rushed to her eyes and she reached up to pull him over her. "Oh, Emmett. I love you, too." She whispered, looking intently into his eyes. "Forever." She breathed as she pulled his mouth down to hers.

Emmett's mouth devoured hers with an intensity he hadn't known he possessed. He'd missed her so much over the last weeks, and he had trouble holding back. He groaned low in his throat and gathered her closer, the desire flooding through him almost more than he could take.

Rosalie moaned and tangled her fingers in his silky curls. She's always loved his hair, especially when it was a little long and began to curl. She felt the dampness between her legs and lifted her hips. Emmett made a growling noise and began to move his lips along her jaw and down the lightly tanned column of her throat. His big fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse and Rosalie arched her neck, bring her breasts tight against the fabric.

"Oh, yes... Emmett... " She breathed, the fire burning hotly in her and her nipples peaking in need.

Emmett pushed the material of her blouse aside and pulled back to feast his eyes on the creamy flesh mounding over the lace on her bra. Ever since she was fourteen years old, Emmett had been obssessed with Rosalie's breasts. They were large, round and perfect. He reached around to unfasten her bra and she took her fingers out of his hair to help him. Once she was free from the bindings hiding her magnificent breasts from him, he pushed her back onto the bed and fastened his lips around one large, pink nipple.

Rose threw her head back with a gasp. "Oh my God... " Emmett covered her other breast with his big, rough hand, and Rosalie grabbed onto his shoulders for support. Her head spun and she couldn't believe how sensitive her flesh felt under his hot mouth.

"Oh God, Rosie... you're so beautiful... so perfect... " Emmett felt her arch into his mouth again and moved back up to her mouth. Their tongues caressed each other and Emmett continued to stroke Rose's satiny skin.

Rose tore her mouth away, gasping for breath. "Em... make love to me." She pleaded, meeting his hot eyes with her own. "I'm... ready." She panted, trying to pull him down to her.

"Rose... I don't know..." He said, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I want to, Emmett... I love you... " She told him, her eyes roaming his bare chest. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his hard length. He drew in a huge breath as her eyes widened. She'd never dared touch him there before, feeling it wasn't fair to tease him when she wasn't ready to go that far.

Emmett groaned as he took her mouth again and yanked her hard against him. "God, Rose... stop me if I go too far. I don't think I can stop myself."

"I don't want you to." Rose told him, running her hand up and down him, amazed at how hard he already was.

Soon, Rose lay naked against Emmett's broad chest, her soft curves pressed tightly to him as his hands touched her everywhere, but the one place she needed him most.

"Emmett... please... " She pleaded, her hips rotating against his hard thigh, her chest rising and falling with each gasping breath.

Emmett flipped her onto her back and closed his mouth over hers once more. His big hands caressed her smooth stomach as she whimpered beneath him. Finally, he let his fingers mingle with the dark, gold curls covering her mound. They were damp with passion, and Emmett groaned as the blood surged through his veins.

He raised his head once more to look into Rosalie's eyes. She was panting with need, her eyes bright with lust and love. "Please, Emmett... don't stop."

Emmett used his knee to push her legs further apart and let his fingers go lower. An incredible wetness met them and the heat was amazing.

"God, Rosie... you're so wet for me... so hot..." Emmett about burst from his boxers, his cock throbbing like never before. He brought his fingers through Rose's damp curls again and again, until Rosalie was writhing on the bed, her hips moving back and forth against his hand.

"Emmett..." She sobbed. "Please..." She didn't know exactly what she was asking for, she'd never had an orgasm before, but she knew it was going to be phenomenal.

Emmett watched her face, fascinated by every expression, every sound, how she thrashed her head back and forth, her sparkly hair clinging to the pillow, how her eyes were shut so tight, her mouth wide open, her lips swollen from his kisses, the tip of her tongue barely touching her bottom lip, her throat arched in the throes of passion. Emmett leaned down and fastened his mouth to her throat and she made a small squeaking sound, and lifted her hips off the bed.

"Rosie... baby... let go... I wanna' watch you... " He whispered against her fevered skin and a low, keening moan escaped from between her lips.

He watched as her eyes flew open and her whole body went rigid. "Emmett..." She squealed, her fingernails digging into his arms. "Oh... oh... " Her thighs were shaking and she ground her butt into the mattress, his fingers working on her soaked, pink flesh. Finally, her butt came up off the bed and a small scream rang out into the room.

Emmett grinned in satisfaction as a feeling of power flowed through him. He had done that to her, made her lose all control and actually scream out in pleasure. He watched as she rode out her release and collapsed onto the bed with a soft gasp. He lay there, propped up on his arm, his eyes still intent on her face as she slowly opened her eyes.

Rosalie came down to earth with a swoosh. She felt boneless and couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her whole body hummed from the after-effects of her release, and her mind was blank. Slowly, her brain began to function again and she gradually opened her eyes to see Emmett watching her intently, a small grin on his face.

An immediate flush of heat suffused her face and she smiled bashfully at her love. Emmett threw back his head and chuckled. When she began to stiffen up with indignation, he soothed her with small kisses and mumbled words of love.

"You know I love you... don't be mad. I barely ever get to see you blush, it gets me so hot." She giggled at his words and the feel of his lips on her neck. She reached down to push his boxers off his carved backside and he grabbed her hand. "What're you up to now?"

Rose's eyes glowed as she smiled at him. "Your turn." She sang, then giggled at the look on his face. His leg still lay heavy over hers where he'd used it to spread her to his touch. He leaned on it now and brought his other knee next to it between her shapely calves.

"You sure, babe?" He asked, one more time. His eyes eager, but indecision clouding them. At her nod and encouraging smile, he knelt down to plunder her mouth again, and finally, settled his weight against her open thighs. "God, Rosie... you feel so... good."

She urged him with her hands on his back and he kicked the boxers the rest of the way off. His erection throbbed huge and rock hard against the juncture of her supple legs, and she felt a momentary twinge of fear. She knew he was large, all over, and she tried to relax so as not to cause him to hurt her more than he had to. She knew he would never forgive himself, or forget it.

"Emmett..." She called to him softly, as she felt him prod her center again. "Emmy... you need a condom, honey..." He was breathing hard, his whole body moving with the effort to draw air into his lungs. He looked into her eyes, and she saw them clear a little, enough for her words to make sense.

He grinned down at her, sweat making the curls in his hair even curlier, and he got up to go to his wallet laying on his dresser. Pulling the small foil packet out of his wallet, Emmett turned to Rose with a lecherous grin. He heard her giggle and he ran back to the bed and jumped on it, bringing forth more giggles from the gorgeous girl about to give herself to him.

Rosalie watched Emmett's eyes soften as they roamed over her, laying soft and warm on his bed. He leaned down and kissed her, putting all his love for her into it, and she reached up to wrap her hand around his swollen manliness.

"Rose... " A groan heard in his chest that vibrated all the way to her toes, caused a flood of heat in between her thighs and she took the foil packet from his hand.

"Hurry, Em... " She urged as he took it back and ripped it open. He attempted to smooth it over his engorged member, but he'd only done it once before, and that was over a banana in Sex Ed class. He looked helplessly at Rose as she giggled and sat up. She pushed at his chest until he sat back on his heels and claimed the latex circle from him once more. Smoothing it down his sizable length, she grinned in satisfaction and he swooped in to ravish her mouth. He pushed her back against the pillows and spread her legs with his knees again, dragging his adoring lips down along her throat.

Rose felt his tip prodding her rosy, wet heat, and she dragged a much-needed breath into her lungs. It took all her strength not to go rigid as he pushed into her. Concentrating on pulling air into her lungs, and pushing it out again, Rose held onto Emmett's large form and waited.

"God, Rose... it feels so good..." He moaned into the soft skin of her throat. "Tell me if I... hurt you... p-promise?"

Rose nodded, then her voice ripped from her throat. "I.. I will..."

Putting his hands on her round butt, Emmett slid further into her scorching tightness, stopping only when he felt her barrier, firmly in place. He knew he had to hurt her to finish what they started, but he dreaded doing it. He'd never hurt anyone on purpose in his entire life, and he felt like he was paying with a piece of his soul for the pleasure she promised.

Pulling back out a little, Emmett gritted his teeth and nuzzled his face into Rosalie's silky hair.

"I love you, Rosalie." He whispered. Praying it was over quickly, he swiftly brought his hips forward and tore through his only love's innocence. He heard her gasp and he drew back to search her face.

Her eyes were shut tight and she held her breath. He wanted to take her pain unto himself, but he just waited for her to get used to his invasion. The urge to move in and out of her burning hot passage was almost his undoing, but the knowledge that he was the source of her pain, helped him to resist. He placed his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

Feeling a gentle touch on his bottom lip, Emmett opened his eyes and gazed into the depths of love. Rose's green eyes twinkled up at him, her expression adoring, and he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Are you okay, Rosie?" She giggled, and nodded, her hand gliding over his chin and down over his chest.

"I'm fine." She whispered, then an impish grin curled her lips. "A little... stretched... but fine."

Emmett chuckled at her teasing and then leaned down to kiss her sweetly. Rose wouldn't stand for it, though, and wrapped her legs around his hips and licked at his lips with her tongue. In minutes, Emmett was feeling the fire overwhelm him. He surged in and out of her sweet warmth until they were both panting, Emmett on the edge.

He placed his forehead to hers once more and looked down into her hazy green gaze. "I'm not gonna' last much longer, Love."

"Keep going, Em... don't stop..." Rosalie panted out, wanting to see his face when he fell apart. He'd experienced her little death, now she wanted to experience his.

Emmett fastened his lips to the place where her shoulder met her slim throat and moved his hips in an urgent dance as old as time. Rosalie hung on for dear life as Emmett rocked her wildly before stiffening with a great roar, muffled in the damp skin of her shoulder.

Emmett's weight settled on Rosalie with a gasp. She had a hard time drawing a breath, but she decided she loved the way he felt all boneless and pliant against her. She hugged him to her as his whole body rose and fell, trying to draw enough oxygen in to settle back to normal. He raised his head, still gasping for breath and, as he gazed into her face, realized he was crushing her.

"Oh, God! Rose, I'm so sorry." He said as he took his weight onto his powerful arms. "Are you alright?"

She grinned up at him. "I'm great." She chirped, loving the way he looked at her. He rolled to his side, taking her with him, and snuggled her tight to his chest. He kissed her forehead, her hair, anywhere he could reach.

"I love you so much, Rosie." He murmured against her skin. "So much." She smiled at him happily and looked pointedly down where the condom still covered him. He removed the latex sheath and disposed of it before drawing her back onto him.

She nestled against him, happy and content for the first time in more than a month, in her whole life, actually, and practically purred her satisfaction into the light hair covering his wide chest.

Emmett sighed, perfectly pleased with himself as he absently ran his hand along Rosalie's hair, sweeping it back from her face. Then his hand stilled as he recalled that Rose hadn't really enjoyed their actual coupling. He cleared his throat and, in a gruff voice, told her his concern.

"Rosie, I'm sorry I hurt you. The next time will be better, I promise, Love." He kissed her forehead tenderly and continued to stroke her hair.

Rosalie raised up to look him in the eye. "Everything was perfect, Emmett. Better than I could've ever imagined." She leaned forward to kiss him sweetly, his lips clinging to hers. When she lay back atop him, they both sighed with happiness. "I really do love you, Emmett, and I'm sorry for the way I acted."

"Things will be alright, Rose." He assured her, her bright hair gliding through his fingers. 'As long as we remember our love for each other, we'll always find our way."

O The End O


End file.
